BLACKSBURG — Though he hasn't set foot on a basketball court in an Atlantic Coast Conference game yet, Virginia Tech's Adam Smith saw enough last season while sitting on the bench to know he's ready.

If nothing else, the kid doesn't lack confidence. After averaging 13.7 points per game as a freshman in the 2011-12 season at UNC Wilmington, he transferred to Tech and sat out last season under NCAA transfer rules.

His take on how much of a step up it'll be going from the Colonial Athletic Association to the ACC? Eh, no big deal.

"I guess it's a big jump," said Smith, a 6-foot-1 guard who is entering his sophomore season of eligibility. "I don't really see a difference, in my opinion. I'm just ready to get out here and help the team. Last year, I sat back and watched from the bench. That was the toughest part."

While Smith may seem unmoved by having to square off against the likes of Virginia's Joe Harris, Boston College's Olivier Hanlan, Duke's Rasheed Sulaimon and North Carolina's P.J. Hairston (whenever he returns from his indefinite suspension), it might not be a bad thing for Smith to come in with an attitude.

He's going to be expected to score for Tech — and score a lot.

"(He's) a terrific scorer who is not shy to shoot the ball," Tech forward Cadarian Raines said. "He's going to fire it up, and he's going to score."

Tech, which finished 13-19 overall last season and 4-14 in the ACC, no longer can depend on Erick Green for scoring. He finished his senior season last year leading the nation with an average of 25 points per game.

Having Jarell Eddie (12.3 points per game last season), Raines (6.6 points per game) and C.J. Barksdale (5.6 points per game) back should help Tech get within range of the 70.3 points per game (fifth in the ACC) it averaged last season, but only if Smith does his part as expected.

"He's a guy that can put the basketball in the hole," Tech coach James Johnson said. "He has not done it in competition for us, but dating back to last season during his sit-out season and working with the scout team, he was able to put up points at a high number even in practice and now he's continued that on."

Smith gets more inspiration out of members of the media voting Tech to finish last in the ACC this season than he does out of talk about matchups with other players in the conference.

"It's motivation," Smith said. "That's what we think about every time we're in the gym. That's just fuel to the fire."

Though Smith still has to prove he can be a big-time scorer as an undersized scoring guard in the ACC, there are a couple precedents that show he has potential to do it. In his one season at Wilmington, he had 23 points in the season-opener at Maryland, and 32 points later that season at Wake Forest.

"I don't have anything to prove to anybody, I don't think," said Smith, who started 29 of 31 games at Wilmington, and who shot just 37.9 percent from the floor, including 33.1 percent from 3-point range. "I'm going to do what I can do to help the team get some wins."

Scoring has always been an enormous part of Smith's game. At Fayette County High in Fayetteville, Ga., where he was U.Va. guard Malcolm Brodgon's teammate before Brogdon transferred schools, Smith averaged 26.2 points per game as a senior and earned second team Parade Magazine All-American honors.

There's no doubting Smith's scoring mentality, but he'll enter the season needing to overcome the reputation of being a bit of a one-dimensional player. He's heard the talk that he lacks on the defensive end.

"There have been rumors, but I don't listen to them," Smith said.

After giving up an ACC-worst 74.8 points per game last season, Johnson has made getting better on defense a priority for his team. He believes Smith's rep as a guy that doesn't provide much defensively isn't true.

"I think that's unfair," Johnson said. "I think guys are put in certain situations where they're relied upon (to score), they need to do it and that's what they do, but I think Adam has been asked to become a defender, because we need everybody to be a better defender on our team. He has shown that he's capable of doing it."

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